Montreal city council says no skateboards on bike paths

Skateboarders in Montreal are officially not allowed to skate on bike paths, according to a new, city-wide rule passed by council yesterday.

• Skateboarders want to share Montreal's roads

Yesterday, for the first time ever, council passed a rule outlining rules for which vehicles are allowed on bike paths.

Before, the rules varied from borough to borough.

Now bikes, Rollerblades, motorized mobility aids and wheelchairs are allowed on city bike paths, but skateboards are not.

That’s raised the ire of some Projet Montréal councillors, who say ignoring the skateboard reinforces the stereotype that they’re unsafe.

“It’s been tolerated, but it’s never been legal. And the problem with that is how do you address safety concerns, when you’re not even permitting it?” said Verdun councillor Stering Downey.

“Basically what’s happening is people are turning a blind eye rather than addressing it.”

The city didn’t address why skateboards are excluded, but said in a press release that it is limiting bike paths to make them safer.

Sharing the path is a move that’s supported by Vélo Québec.

“We are not going to do separate facilities for cyclists, for longboards, for scooters and whatever,” said Marc Jolicoer, research coordinator with Vélo Québec.

“So that's why we think that it's a necessity to share facilities in a city like Montreal.”